Celebrating Media Diversity: McGruder Distinguished Lecture

Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will honor Peter Bhatia, editor of the Detroit Free Press, with the 2018 Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Award for his accomplishments in media diversity.

Bhatia will visit campus to

present a lecture on media diversity and accept the award on Friday, March 2, 2018. The keynote lecture will take place at 1 p.m. in FirstEnergy Auditorium (Room 340) in Franklin Hall at Kent State. The lecture is free and open to the public. An hors d’oeuvres reception will follow.

Learn more about the event at https://www.kent.edu/jmc/news/celebrating-trailblazers-media-diversity

The McGruder Distinguished Lecture and Award Program, now in its 14th year, is presented in honor of the late Robert G. “Bob” McGruder, the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater who went on to become the first black reporter at The Plain Dealer, the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group and first black executive editor at the Detroit Free Press.

Bhatia, this year’s awardee, became the journalist of South Asian descent to run a major daily newspaper in the United States when he was named executive editor of The Oregonian in 2010. He worked for The Oregonian for 20 years, starting as managing editor; the paper won six Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. Bhatia joined the Detroit Free Press as editor in September 2017.

Gene Shelton, professor in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is this year’s Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership awardee. He will accept the award and deliver brief remarks at the McGruder lecture on March 2. At Kent State, Shelton has been recognized for his efforts intersecting media, diversity and education. He received the College of Communication and Information’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 2013. He was also honored with Kent State University’s Diversity Trailblazer Award, the university’s highest recognition to a campus, college, school or individual for advocating and advancing diversity.